Liquid Fuel Stoves

Recent Liquid Fuel Stove Reviews

Coleman 533

Rugged stove that works well under all conditions. Easy to use but can be finicky in adjusting the flame. My Coleman 533 is about 30 years old.  Used frequently on camping trips to perk coffee and cook simple meals.  Lighting the stove is easy.  If the stove is full, frequent pumping is necessary until fuels burns off to maintain a larger air volume in the tank.  The flame control does not work all that well.  The low heat "sweet spot" is hard to find and if you don't monitor it, the flame… Full review

Optimus No.96 kerosene stove

The classic "Half-Pint Primus"—small, hot, indestructible. A five-star product, for careful users. One of the oldest of the Swedish stove designs, the small version was a staple in the European outdoors community for decades, using the less volatile Kerosene/Paraffin, rather than Gasoline/Petrol. Usually packaged in a tin, the 96 was sometimes carried by 1950s/60s cyclists, by use of a frame clip attached at the top of the seat tube. The brass construction of these stoves is high quality and consumable… Full review

Coleman Sportster Dual Fuel II

The epitome of integrated dual fuel camping stoves. 3+ KW output and uses unleaded petrol/Gasoline or White gas liquid. People claim to have used all sorts of flammable light hydrocarbon liquids as fuel. I was so horrified to hear that the company who bought Coleman have discontinued the 533 that I rushed out to buy some spares to ensure that mine (already 20 years old) outlasts me. Full review

MSR DragonFly

The best and the most reliable backpacking stove I've ever used. Every year, the trails I haunt beckon me to pack the K2 Longbed and get away from civilization once more. Each time I go off into the wilderness, I pack the MSR Dragonfly. It's the same one I purchased in 1993, and the same stove that consistently works without fail, heats up my tea, and makes one-pot cooking a delight.  Full review

MSR DragonFly

This is a stable and reliable stove for base camp cooking or backpacking. I have used a number of MSR stoves over the years (Whisperlite, XGK, XGK EX, and the Dragonfly); they have all been reliable performers. The O-ring at the fuel line interface with the pump has always been the failure point…I replace it annually with an inexpensive O-ring from the hardware store. After 10-15 years, the pip on the pump’s NRV (non-return valve) gets hard; I just buy a new pump. Operating this stove is straightforward…pump… Full review

Optimus Svea 123

Best part of this stove is its simplicity, and it is just plain bombproof. Bought this stove after reading Colin Fletcher's book on hiking. Fletcher hiked all over the world and sang high praise on this stove. After that I researched it and was convinced this was the stove for hiking and for me. Full review

Optimus Svea 123

I'm 71 years old and planning on hiking a section of the AT next year. I was thinking about the gear I would need when I remembered a SVEA that my father had given me. I dug it out of a canoe box. The stove probably hasn't seen the light of day in over 40 years. I filled it with fuel, primed it, and it took right off. You've got to love a quality item that works exactly as it was designed to do. I hadn't seen this stove since I was a teenager. I took it apart and looked at the various pieces. It… Full review

Optimus Svea 123

I've had my SVEA 123 (not R) stove since the early seventies. It's never failed me on a camping trip. Apart from the priming, super easy to use, and it even simmers. My SVEA was one of the highlights of any of my modest backpacking trips. Hearing that jet burst of flame meant a hot, well earned meal was close at hand and marked a welcomed inflection point to the end of a sweaty day on the trail. I have an MSR Dragonfly, and it's a great stove, but requires some setting up of course. The SVEA, just… Full review

Coleman Peak 1 Feather 400

Bought in the '80s and still works perfect. Just a few cleanings. The old models have a control lever that makes flame adjustment a snap. Love it. This stove has never failed me.  t does it all for rapid boil to cooking for six. Can control the flame to simmer and make cobblers. It has been to the Sierra, Tetons, Big Horns, Maine, Michigan...and always satisfies. Full review